Not only is this the time of year for big holiday game purchases, like Star Wars Armada from Fantasy Flight Games, Castles of Mad King Ludwig from Bezier Games (our favorite game for most of 2015!) or Horus Heresy: Betrayal at Calith from Games Workshop, any of which will set you back $40 – $100 or more, but the season also calls for smaller presents as well, for stocking stuffers, secret Santas or gift exchange. For these, you want a game that provides a lot of fun without melting down your pocketbook. Here are some suggestions:

1. Love Letter from AEG. This is our favorite stocking stuffer of the year for several reasons. First, Love Letter is a lot of fun, plays quickly and offers quite a bit of replay value, especially with the number of variants that AEG has released. In addition, it boasts a great price point at $10.00 for the basic game and only $11.00 for the Batman, Hobbit and Adventure Time variants. There’s even a Letters to Santa version if you want to get really thematic. Add in that the game is attractively packaged in both boxed and clamshell versions and you have a great stocking stuffer.

2. Timeline from Asmodee. Timeline comes packaged in an attractive tin that fits neatly into a stocking, has an equally attractive $15.00 price point and offers plenty of replayability. Add in the fact that it actually teaches a bit of history and you have an all-around great choice.

3. Fluxx from Looney Labs. At $16 to $20, Fluxx is a bit more expensive than the first two options but still comparatively cheap and comes in a wide variety of variations. You can buy Star Fluxx, Monty Python & the Holy Grail Fluxx, Cthulhu Fluxx, Pirate Fluxx, Batman Fluxx or even, should your tastes run that way, just plain Fluxx. The number of Fluxx games make it relatively easy to find a version that would appeal to anyone on your Secret Santa or gift exchange list. In addition, since the rules change with every game, or even with every hand, Fluxx, whatever version you buy, offers immense replayability.

4. Tenzi by Carma Games is one of the fastest and most frentic games we carry at Red Raccoon Games. This super simple game is easy for people of all ages to learn, and is a game that younger children especially like to play (the age range is 6 and up and the game can handle up to 4 players, making it good for family get-togethers). Each pack comes with 40 dice, and the basic play is that each player takes 10 dice of the same color. Someone yells go, and everyone starts rolling their dice as fast as possible. Players are looking to get combinations of numbers agreed upon before the start, and the first one to accomplish this goal wins! Super simple, super fun, and you have one more great stocking stuffer.